The best films to see in Beijing cinemas this April

Catch the best flicks this month at theatres near you

It's not just superheroes on the screens this month: The Beijing International Film Festival starts next week. Take a look at our picks of the best ongoing and upcoming releases in April.

Beijing International Film Festival

The Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) kicks off this year on April 13 and runs until April 20. This annual film showcase spans across 30 theatres and 58 screens around Beijing, featuring some of the best films in international and Chinese movie making. With 261 films to catch, this year’s film festival will cover all bases, from documentaries to queer dramas, old masterpieces to animated gems. Top picks for the fest include the Bourne series, Amadeus, Rashomon, Minding the Gap and Dalí: In Search of Immortality. 

For the full list of films and links to get tickets to them all, visit the official website (bjiff.com). 

Shazam!

On general release now. 

Shazam! follows 14-year-old foster kid Billy Batson who can turn into the adult superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi) just at the utterance of that one word, Shazam! However, Batson needs to master his powers (and puberty) to fight the evil plan of Dr Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).

Drôles de petites bêtes

On general release from Sat 13. 

Drôles de petites bêtes, or Tall Tales from the Magical Garden of Antoon Krings in English, follows Apollo (Justin Long), a cricket with a past of being an outsider and a drifter who arrives in a small village preparing for the queen bee's jubilee. The sleepy kingdom is thrown into disarray when the queen (Kate Mara) is kidnapped and Apollo is set up for the crime. Original language: French.

Wonder Park

On general release from Fri 19. 

Wonder Park tells a heart-warming story for all the ages through the eyes of a wildly creative young girl called June (Sofia Mali and Brianna Denski). After she stumbles across an amusement park in disarray, she realises the park and all of its incredible creatures are part of her imagination, leaving it up to her to reestablish the wonder in Wonderland.

Avengers: Endgame

On general release from Wed 24.

After the devastating end of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe as we know it lays in ruins. The Avengers assemble, once more, to overcome the destruction wrought by Thanos and bring to a close the 22-movie long Marvel series.

And, because, for once, the cinematic gods have turned their benevolent eye towards China (and the rather lucrative box office that exists here), Endgame will open here at the same time as the rest of the world – and a whole two days before the North American release.

For more great films to catch in cinemas now, hit 'Read more' below. 

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